The Girl In Blue
by Xxsweet-venom-kissxX
Summary: It started with a radio, a moment interrupted by his father.  Barty Crouch Junior, from before he took the Mark and to his trial.  BCJrxOC. Finished
1. Dancing to the Radio

Summary: A moment with Barty Crouch Junior, involving a radio playing some popular rock and roll, interrupted by his father. Before he dabbled in the Dark Arts and got his Mark. Set around 1977, making Barty around 15, having just taken his O.W.L's.

**A/N: It's been a while since I posted something. This time around, it's a Harry Potter piece.**

**I'm going to blame watching **_Pirate Radio/The Boat That Rocked_** for a lot of this. While that movie took place in 1967 (and is a different fandom, etc.), I figured people still did not have a taste for rock-and-roll (Muggle or otherwise) in later years, especially some of the old-fashioned Wizarding families. I can see Crouch Sr. being a lot like Sir Alistair Dormandy, the guy who was very intent on shutting down the pirate radio stations in **_PR/TBTR_**. **

**Other than that, this is sort of just a random one-shot. A subdued Barty Junior, before he started his trek to the Death Eaters. I wrote it, figured I might as well share it. Enjoy.**

**Anything that you recognize, I do not own. This goes for HP as well as the bands mentioned within. I own the random girl, Audrey Edinhardt. **

The summers were always the worst for Barty, simply because it meant being home. Was it home? He had a loving mother, and a house-elf that waited on him. But didn't a home involve a father that was actually around for his family? He shared the man's name, with a suffix of 'Junior', and he saw him for maybe three minutes a day before he escaped to his study to work more. It was like he almost didn't exist.

As always, once every summer, his father held an annual dinner party. Ministry officials, including the Minister for Magic, would come and indulge in food and drink, banter about this or that. But no discussion of what was going on. No talk of a Dark wizard rising to power, the disappearances, the deaths. Not tonight, at least.

Barty heard the rumors at school. Many of the ones who were major players within Voldemort's circle had already graduated years ago. But those who spoke highly of the Dark Lord were recruits, planning on taking the Mark once they graduated. They were always trying to increase their numbers, of course. Regulus Black, a friend of sorts, was stuck in his family's pride of pureblood supremacy, and was among the younger of the group of recruits.

A knock on his door had broken his thoughts. Light knocking. His mother knocked like that. "Barty, are you dressed? People have started arriving." A feminine voice, soft, loving. It barred no trace of the illness she was usually bed-ridden with.

He adjusted the tie one final time, before giving a sigh and going to the door. "Presentable as a prized hippogriff, Mother," he replied, closing the door behind him and beginning to travel downstairs and out into the yard.

"Now, don't talk like that. Your father…"

"Must make a good impression if he wishes to become Minister for Magic. I know. But why can't he think about anything else, Mother?" He took her hand, soft and so much smaller than his own. "Winky can only do so much when I'm not here. Surely he could spend some of his time with you and away from the paperwork."

"He cares, Barty, in his own way. Best behavior tonight, please?" She looked at her son, her light hair pinned back, hiding how thin it was now. Her eyes still carried traces of weariness, then again, maybe he noticed because he knew she was as sick as she was.

"Of course, Mother."

The expansive patio and yard was decorated with bobbling spheres of light in some of the trees, tables holding small tea lamps that held flickering flames. The effect was stunning, especially with the fireflies flitting about and a clear sky.

Barty wandered, seeing some familiar faces from school; students who had graduated and were interning at the Ministry. He shook hands, plastered on a smile. He had been introduced to some of his father's co-workers, who were all given the "My son received twelve O.W.L's this year," piece.

Dinner was served, with Barty seated in the middle of his parents. He tuned out the Ministry ramblings, all of it dealing with money or some sort of law or trial. No one addressed him personally anyway, which was fine with him. Quite fine.

He had managed to wander back inside for a moment after the meal, trying to get a moment to himself. The kitchen was a place he would often find himself when he couldn't sleep. His father's study was the house library, and he had learned early on to never go in unless he was told to. Not that it was a comfortable place anyway, the books barely touched and the chairs too hard for pleasurable reading or studying. Even when his father wasn't in there, it hummed with tension. It was a place he did not associate good memories with.

Winky was no where to be found-she was probably outside, attending to his father's wants. But he was far from alone.

A figure, a teenaged girl by the obvious dress she wore, was sitting at the small table, messing around with the radio that sat there. She was muttering to herself, something like "Oh, come on, it's around that wavelength…"

He just stood there, wondering how she could have thought it would be okay to mess with someone else's property like that. She was a guest. Guests didn't mess around with things unless they had permission, which she did not have.

She had found a station, playing some sort of Muggle music-it only played Wizarding stations when hit with a proper spell, since his mother loved classical Muggle music.

Some of the other students sometimes had records of this music. He had glimpsed at the cover the large black rings sat in, with names like The Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd. He had liked it well enough sometimes, for Muggle music.

"You listen to Muggle music?" He asked, clearly surprising her. She had jumped a little in her seat, looking very scared since she recognized him as a member of the household.

"Sometimes. It's something they seem to have gotten right." Tip-toeing on the subject, since allegiances were hard to tell. Smart girl, but this was something he could agree with.

He finally got a look at her face; pale, a tiny sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Dark brown hair fashioned in a loose style with a braid running on the left side of her head. Green eyes. She was familiar, another one of those faces he had seen inside the castle walls. Her sundress was a subdued blue, with black sandals.

"You're in my year, aren't you?" Barty sat down across from her, undoing a button on his suit jacket to make sitting more bearable. "A Ravenclaw? We had Charms and Potions together, right?"

"Indeed." She nodded once. "My father works in the Department of Mysteries, friends with your father." She made a face that said it all: _I did not want to come. _"I'm Audrey."

A flicker of recognition crossed his face. She had been partnered with a Slytherin, doing most of the work while her partner sat back and received the same grade for no work whatsoever.

"The Beatles, right?" He pointed to the radio, hesitant that he could be very wrong. She nodded. "They're not that bad." He admitted.

She got up from her chair, making him realize she was five-four at most, and held out her hands while swaying in place. It was a decent song to dance to. Oh, what the hell. He got up and took her hands, mimicking her movements.

He spun her out, brought her back. Crossed their arms, untangling them by bringing them over their heads, her back to his, before spinning back again. He had attempted to dance by himself, looking daft in the process. She laughed, but he didn't mind. She did the same, holding her dress and doing some sort of step-dance. Several songs passed, done by different artists, and they smiled at each other as they continued, sometimes hand in hand together, others on their own.

The music suddenly stopped mid-song, catching the both of them off-guard. Audrey's face dropped into embarrassment and shame as she saw the figure holding a wand that had silenced the music. Crouch Senior, standing with a firm expression that did little to hide his anger. Barty looked right at his father, waiting for the yelling, the smack across his face that he would get when everyone else went home. It was routine by now, since he had stopped complying with his father's whims.

"Rock-and-roll filth." He muttered. "How dare you play that in this house."

"Sorry, Father." Barty murmured with a blank expression, a fake tone of guilt. It was followed by an apology from Audrey: "Sorry, Mister Crouch."

"I would say you wandered around your host's house unaccompanied, young lady, but you are with my son. I suppose the point is moot. I will not tolerate such behavior again."

"Yes, sir." She said, looking straight at him, completely serious.

Crouch Senior made a gesture to outside, and the both of them went back into the night among the other guests as fast as they could.

She had taken his hand for a brief moment, squeezing and then letting go as she flashed him a mischievous smile. She was off to find her parents among the crowd. He would probably see her at school, but the chances of them associating together were low. Different groups of friends, all that.

His thoughts were plagued with her smile that night, her eyes bright as he recalled her laughter over the guitar and vocals, while he nursed a very swollen cheek with ice.


	2. Seventh Year I

**October of 1978, the beginning of Barty's seventh year. There will be a part two of their seventh year, graduation. I'm not sure what to think of this one, Barty's still not cruel, but he's decided to take the Mark by now. I'm hoping the interactions work too. **

**Thanks to BlueNeutrino for the review, and to anyone who put this on alert/favorite. It means a lot, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

Seventh year. The year every single Hogwarts student looks forward to. It was a reveled year that meant little work and lots of play time. Or, it was to those who took the required classes with nothing else.

To Barty, it meant relying on coffee to keep awake and curling up on the common room couch with a textbook, or any book for that matter. It was N.E.W.T year, after all. All-nighters were extremely common among the bravest seventh years.

Having spent his fifth year with stress levels on high, several of his classmates would think he'd take a break.

Taking a break meant having room in his head to think about other things. His ill mother. His father making headlines about his revolutionary ways of hunting down Death Eaters.

The ranks of which he would join a week after he graduated. He had to have knowledge of Dark magic if he was going to take the Mark, so the reading for that kept him a bit distracted as well.

If he didn't fill his head with words, he'd go back to thinking about Audrey. He had five classes with her last year, and the same five this year; all of those were N.E.W.T classes. But they hadn't shared a word since that summer night a year and a few months ago.

He'd listened to the radio a lot more since then. He'd let his father catch him, occasionally. But now that school started up again, and he was around people who considered Muggles less than human, well…he'd have to deal with Wizard rock, even though it wasn't the same.

All of that was a lot more to think about than, say, reading _Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration_. Although that required thinking, of course, it was academic thinking, as the book would be one of his many sources of the major paper he had to do for McGonagall.

His mind defied him and dared ask if Audrey was on top of this as much as he was.

The glances he took in her direction at breakfast told him she was; there was no denying she had dark circles under her eyes most of the week that disappeared for Friday and Saturday but were back by Monday. Unless she was stressed by other things that had nothing to do with academics.

Barty gave a sigh of annoyance, facing the fact that he would not get any notes tonight. In a moment of teenaged frustration, he placed the open book over his face.

"Are you hoping to simply absorb the knowledge, Barty?"

Regulus Black, one of the few Barty now considered a friend, had just come through the threshold into the common room. It was no secret where he had been; he had been clutching his arm a few hours earlier.

"That'd be too easy, Reg." He replied, turning his book-covered face to where he knew the other was standing. "Just a moment of my brain refusing to focus. How was the meeting?"

"He's more than happy to take you before graduation, you know. The more, the merrier." Barty didn't see that Reg's face betrayed the tone he took, for a split second.

"I just…it'll be easier for me to simply come and go from my own house than sneaking to the Forbidden Forest to a Portkey and then pulling more all-nighters to get my work done."

"Just telling you what he said. I'll be gone next weekend for something, so…"

"I'll cover for you if needed."

"Thanks, Book-face." Regulus began to walk away after patting the book that covered Barty's freckled face. "You staying down here?"

"Well, yeah, this book won't read itself." Barty moved it up onto the top of his head, like a hat, and a grinned stupidly.

Reg shook his head and headed for the dormitory down the hall, muttering something like "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

* * *

><p>Thursdays were usually the days Barty spent studying relatively near the Black Lake, weather permitting. He had one class in the morning, right after breakfast, and he had double Potions before dinner. Lots of free time in-between.<p>

These were the days he saw Audrey twice, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun by the time Slughorn's class started, her Ravenclaw robes abandoned like every other smart Potioneer.

Barty sat down at his favorite spot, nestled under a tree that offered a lot of shade with a good view of the lake. It was quieter outside of the castle, even though many sought to kill some time hanging at the lake.

He had looked up from his book an hour or so later to see a familiar Ravenclaw with a pile of books beside her and a sketchpad on her lap. She seemed quite involved in a drawing of a common flower nearby.

His eyes flickered between his book and Audrey. He needed to study. That paper wouldn't write itself. And he needed to be familiar with the pages he was supposed to have read for Potions but focused on Defense Against the Dark Arts instead. But Audrey…the girl he couldn't get out of his head for over a year…the girl he hadn't spoken to for so long because he was stupid enough to not take the chances he had.

He huffed, packed up his books, fixed his brown hair to relative tidiness, and walked over to the Ravenclaw, who didn't even realize he was there until he sat down.

Just as she had when he interrupted her wavelength search, she jumped at his presence. The involuntary movement made her mar her drawing, a large, dark graphite mark running through the middle of the flower.

"You make a habit out of scaring people, Barty?" She asked, clearly annoyed at her ruined work.

"I didn't mean to. Just thought you'd like some company."

"Most people ask before just plopping down." She tossed her sketchpad aside. She was on edge, and he got the feeling it was more than her ruined work in progress. Maybe the art was her way of chilling out, getting rid of that anger.

"I just thought I'd be nice. If you'd prefer to be alone, then I'll…" He made to stand, but she grabbed his arm, harder than she meant to.

"No, don't. I'm sorry, I just…I'm used to being left alone a lot now. Stay."

He sat back down, settled his book on his lap but didn't open it. He was curious about her statement; she was left alone a lot of time. She usually had a small group of friends, but they had chosen to leave her behind? She ate with a small gaggle of Ravenclaws, and talked with them. Weren't they her friends?

"Why are you left alone so much?" He murmured, almost afraid he already knew.

"My father's gone missing, and my mother refuses to get out of bed on most days; doesn't even write anymore. They look at me with pity. Don't want to be near me because my mother's said many, many things to their parents while under the influence of the demon called wine."

He wasn't sure what to do; he was used to his father out of the picture a lot, his mother bed-ridden. He went for a relatively easy movement and put his arm around her shoulder, squeezing lightly. She didn't seem the kind to let hardship get her down, and her lack of tears enforced that.

"Thanks." She said, placing her right arm, the side he sat on, on his shoulder.

"What, for this?" He shook her lightly, playfully.

"For not pitying me. You're not going "Oh, poor Audrey," "I'm so sorry to hear that," or expecting me to break down at a moments notice. For not walking away when you very well could have broken my hold. For dancing with me; I never did properly thank you for that."

"No need. Thank you for letting me get into trouble. I live to piss that man off nowadays."

She took notice of his book collection. "You carry a library with you, too?" She teased.

"Sometimes." He replied. "Have to keep busy somehow."

Barty let go of her just quick enough to grab the discarded sketchbook. She was about to protest, but since she questioned his book habit she figured it was only fair to let him see her hobby.

He flipped through portraits, objects, ideas scribbled down in haste. He caught one of him under the tree, from behind; it was supposed to be centered on the lake, he figured. He caught another of him at lunch, Regulus beside him. Barty's nose was in a book, of course.

"These are brilliant." He grinned at her, color rising in her cheeks. "I mean, they don't move, but that's okay because they're so well done. I quite like this bloke here," he pointed to the one of him. "He's a smart guy."

She laughed, snatching it from him and setting it aside. "So egotistical."

His amused expression didn't let up as he held up his right hand, placing his forefinger and thumb barely together. "Just a tad."

She took a wad of parchment off to her side, and smacked him on the head playfully. That grin was still plastered on his face, but it was a bit softer.

"I mean it, though. That's," he pointed to her sketchbook, "wonderful work. Talent."

"Thank you."

The books beside them were untouched as they continued to talk. About anything. Except the Ministry and the War. Too heavy for their conversation.

"And I thought there was a lot of drama in Gryffindor, sheesh. You Slytherins, you never cease to amaze me sometimes." Audrey shook her head after he told her the story of how two third-years got into a duel over who was more worthy of a sixth year girl's attention.

They had walked to Potions together that afternoon, and since the N.E.W.T class was so small, they didn't have assigned tables; they continued to talk throughout the double lesson, managing to somehow pay attention to their potion and what Slughorn was saying.

"Why did we not do this earlier?" She blurted out on their way to dinner. "Why did we ignore each other last year?"

"No idea." He told the truth; he had plenty of opportunity before today to talk to her. Maybe he didn't want to deal with the teasing he would no doubt endure through dinner now. A Slytherin and a Ravenclaw wasn't the worst idea in the world, but it wasn't ideal to those of his house.

They came to the Great Hall, where, while table sharing was known to happen, no one dared to sit at Slytherin who wasn't already in the house. And Slytherins never really left their table.

Both were at a loss for words. It wasn't 'good-night' but they wouldn't get a chance to talk again until tomorrow.

She took his hand, as she had that night they met, squeezed and gave him a genuine smile. He gave one back, so very tempted to kiss her cheek, just as he couldn't remove her from his head that night. He settled for squeezing back before heading to their separate tables.

Regulus said nothing, despite having seen them part, for which Barty was thankful.


	3. Seventh Year II

**Right, so, part two of their seventh year. I'm browsing the Harry Potter wiki, and I stumbled upon the knowledge that Percy Weasley's wife is named Audrey. Huh. **

**Should up the rating, maybe change a genre thing to be sure. Two more snippets to do, and I think that'll about do it.**

Despite not being able to really spend mealtimes together, they had begun spending a large portion of their free time together, either studying in the library (it had gotten too cold outside to really sit and read and focus), or going to Hogsmeade.

After some nudging by Regulus, who wanted to meet the girl that had managed to bring Barty's head up from a book, Barty had agreed for the three of them to hang out at The Three Broomsticks. The two young men had walked into an empty common room later that night; Reg merely patted his friend's shoulder and walked off to the dorm. A silent way of saying he liked her.

Holidays were the times they were apart; because there was a lot to do at home and with schoolwork, they didn't bother writing. It would be the same stuff over and over again.

Before they knew it, they were sitting in the Great Hall, taking their N.E.W.T exams. The scratching of quill on parchment was the only noise that could be heard in the entire giant space, the occasional cough or sneeze. People pulled at their hair, stared wide-eyes at their paper, muttering to themselves. Barty had no problem, and was one of the first ones finished. He looked around after handing in his exam to see Audrey walking up to hand hers in.

Once excused from the Great Hall, they kept silent until they reached the bridge connecting the courtyard to the grounds.

"That wasn't bad. At all. I mean, then again, it was the last one and the one we really prepared for." She said, slipping her arm through his, their elbows locked. His hand was in his robe pockets; he hadn't offered his arm, but it was something he was used to.

"No, I wanted to laugh at the question about the Draught of Living Death. Did you see Wilson pulling out her hair in the second hour?"

"Since I happened to be three seats behind you, yes. She's going to need some hair tonic when she realizes the amount she pulled out."

They stood just beyond the bridge; down to their left was the gamekeepers, and if they went straight, they'd end up on the path to the train, the one they'd never take again. They'd be riding the boats across the lake to the train, rather than catching the carriage around. A symbolic goodbye.

"Will you miss it–Hogwarts?" She asked, turning around and looking at the castle.

"A bit. Well, a lot. But everything must end, right?"

"Not learning. Not really. At least not for me."

He gave a small smile. Living up to her house stereotype. But she spoke the truth. Maybe the book learning was done for a bit, but they had to learn in order to continue living. Learn their trade, learn to pay bills, and learn to raise kids. Experience learning.

"The world outside of these gates is mad, even without a war. But I'm excited nonetheless." She said.

"Me, too."

He was excited for a different reason. Two weeks until he would take his Dark Mark. Until he got to serve the man he thought brilliant and revolutionary. Well, his ideals weren't new, but he was one of the few to act on them. He created fear, panic. Even Muggles knew something was going on.

Oh, yes, he was excited. Thrilled, even.

* * *

><p>It was a hot day. Had graduation been held outside, every single one of them would be sweating under the black robes. Ceremonial robes, each of them having to order specialty robes that mostly resembled their day-to-day classroom robes, with a change in material. A bit boring, save the slight shininess to them. Their hats were perched on their heads, something the girls complained about because it messed with their hair.<p>

But they were not outside. They were in the Great Hall. Which was significantly cooler.

They listened to speech after speech; the Minister, Dumbledore, a teacher (Professor Sprout), and a guest speaker, who happened to be an Auror that was climbing the ranks by the name of Rufus Scrimgeour.

They then would receive acknowledgement of their achievements in O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's, and documentation of their education based on said achievements.

Clutching the leather case that held her diploma, Audrey found Barty waiting for her, Regulus at his side. She hugged Reg, and leapt at Barty, who stumbled back from the force before returning the embrace.

"We're done! All of the sleep we missed, all of the memories of Quidditch and Hogsmeade and everything Hogwarts is summed up in a piece of parchment that declares I have five N.E.W.T's" She shook the black book for emphasis.

"That's more than I have." Regulus shrugged. "My O.W.L's are enough for me, thank you very much."

They headed down to the boathouse, where a random Gryffindor packed into a boat with them and they began to cross the lake. Just as they had in their first year. Audrey couldn't help but look back, seeing the castle perched high on the cliff.

She couldn't deny she'd miss it. But it was time to move on.

She had said congratulations to the Gryffindor out of politeness when they pulled to shore, who said the same and nodded to the three of them.

They found a compartment and shed the horrid robes, under which Barty and Regulus wore vests and ties, and Audrey wore the dress she wore to the summer party.

"Oh, hey, I remember that." Barty said, plastering a smile on his face.

"This old thing?" She smiled back, sitting down and crossing a leg over the other, trying to look snooty.

Regulus shook his head, despite being told how they met initially. They acted ridiculous together sometimes.

The train lurched into motion, and they began their journey back to London. Trees passed by in a green blur, and a half an hour in, the trolley came by offering a last treat. Audrey nibbled on a chocolate frog, a small pile of caldron cakes sitting on the available space-a treat they all agreed on.

Barty had reached up into the luggage racks some time later, and rummaged through his stuff for something. He pulled out an object they all recognized, but it was only understood by Barty and Audrey.

"Old times sake?" He handed her the object that was enchanted to work without a source of energy, and let her fiddle with the knobs for a station. It picked up a Muggle wavelength, blaring out The Doors.

She placed it on the small table that folded out under the window, and she took Barty's hands, dancing as they had nearly two years ago. Regulus joined in, and while the compartment was small, it didn't seem to matter.

They took a break, tiring too quickly. Audrey lowered the volume, and pulled the shade down on the first-years, now second-years, that had stopped and watched them.

The radio was the only sound between them for a moment, before she spoke suddenly.

"Both of you, do me a favor: don't get yourselves killed this summer, alright?"

Her question caught both of them off-guard. Regulus was a bit more on edge than Barty, but gave his friend a look that said everything in his head: _Does she know?_

"I saw you holding your arm one night, Regulus. Times like these, doesn't take much to figure it out-I'm a Ravenclaw. Your family holds his ideas high. Your cousin's Bellatrix, and she's made her stance in the war known. You're missing at odd hours, and sometimes for weekends."

She turned her head to Barty. "And it's your intention to eventually take the Mark. You made an effort to hide some of the books you carried on you. You'd put them away and make sure to hide the titles when I came by. Not to mention it'd be everything your father doesn't want from you. A bit of a 'screw you' to the old man- running off to serve the man he hates so much while you're training to be an Auror."

Anger wrenched Barty's stomach; hearing it out-loud somehow made it so much more…reasonable. Couldn't it have simply been because he wanted to? Why did it have to stem from his lack of a father figure?

"So what if I am?" He challenged.

"I just don't want you two to go get yourselves killed for an ideal. You are not a person, not to him. You're completely expendable to him. I'm not going to lecture you on how it's cruel to harm people because they're not magical or because they don't have magical ancestry. It's your choice. Just don't get yourselves blown up." She refused to add the thought that crossed her mind at the end: _You guys are all I've got, really._

Regulus seemed to relax a bit, his mind anywhere but on the train. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

"We'll do our very best." Barty gave her a smile that, had he actually bothered to use it on the female masses at school, would have had them swooning over him. It had a tiny effect on Audrey, easing the burden of knowledge enough to get her up and swinging in his arms again for the remainder of the ride home.

The arrival to London felt surreal, the finality of their futures finally setting in. Those who had younger friends were saying goodbye, girlfriends tearful at not being able to see their boyfriends for most of the year. Family embraced one another.

Regulus saw his parents standing a little from the crowd, and hugged Audrey, picking her up in the process and twirling her around once. This might be the last time he ever saw her, and he didn't want the memory of her pep talk to mar the ones she had of their last year. He hugged Barty, both boys patting the other's back before withdrawing and saying they'd see each other later.

A wispy looking witch was peering around, trying to find her son. She was dressed in a skirt and blazer, her face flushed with color. Whether it was true healthiness or fever, Barty knew not. She spotted who she was searching for, and made her way over to him and Audrey.

"Is she your mother?" Audrey asked, offering a smile to the woman before looking up at Barty.

"Yes. I'm surprised she's out of bed, not to mention…" the words died in his throat as he caught sight of his father making his way through to his wife. The man made time to pick his son up from Kings Cross every year, and this year would be no exception, despite Barty's hope.

His mother was the first to reach them, and hugged her son tightly, like he was liable to disappear any second. She took a look at Audrey, and exchanged pleasantries. Further conversing was cut short when her husband arrived.

"Congratulations, Barty." The man held out his hand, which was shaken out of disdain for a public outburst.

"Thank you, Father."

The older man's eyes fell upon Audrey, who was trying to think of a way to say what she wanted to Barty and escape this encounter with her and her parents' dignity intact.

"And congratulations to you, Miss Edinhardt. I heard you wish to become an Auror?" The same outstretched hand, which she shook politely.

"Thank you, sir. And yes, I do. I feel it's something of a personal obligation, if nothing else."

"I'm sorry to hear about your father-there's a team looking, but there just aren't many leads. Your mother had withdrawn from many of the people she was around, I have not seen her in some time now."

"I saw her over Easter break; I sparked enough incentive in her to at least work, so she's in Flourish and Blotts, part time. Keeps her distracted enough."

Crouch nodded, stepping back and beside his wife. Enough space to say goodbye, she supposed.

She turned to Barty. "So."

"So."

It was extremely unnerving with his parents watching. She had things she wanted to say, to get out of her head and into the open. She could sum it all up in one action, but that would be embarrassing at the present moment.

They settled for a half-hearted hug that lingered longer than normal. His hand went to her face, thumb rubbing her cheek as he departed behind his parents.

Her mother had not made it to the station to come and get her; she couldn't. She supposedly was working at Diagon Alley, but that didn't faze her. The walk would do her good.

Lugging her trunk off to the side, she noticed the crowd had dissipated enough to get around. Barty's retreating figure was still on the platform, seen just beyond a few families.

Disregarding her luggage, she ran, shouting to be heard over the chatter that surrounded him by younger students. "Barty!" Merlin, she sounded desperate.

He turned, and moved through the end of the crowd to meet her, catching her in time to grab her around the waist and pick her up enough to meet his level, twirling her.

Her arms wrapped under his, she pressed her lips to his, something to which he responded to eagerly.

"I've wanted that all year." He murmured, pulling away unwillingly.

Well, she guessed that was over with.

Her right hand rested on his chest, her eyes a tad wider than usual as she spoke. "Remember to write me, even about the most mundane things. Don't do anything stupid."

Crouch cleared his throat, signaling that this needed to end so that many other things could get done.

He stole one last kiss, a bit more forceful than hers was, before placing her back on the ground. "Now that was to piss him off." He whispered, grinning madly before reluctantly turning away.

Audrey went back to her trunk and prepared for a long trek to the Leaky Caldron, still feeling his lips on her own.


	4. Summer, Full of Change

**Forewarning: character death. It had to happen.  
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**I've upped the rating to T, and changed some things. After this, it's a bit of Auror training and the trial, some aftermath with Audrey. And that'll be it. I've learned the hard way I can't really draw things out, otherwise I'll never finish. So, enjoy!  
><strong>

The first few weeks of summer were spent separately, in order to get a feel for being back at home. Trunks were thoroughly cleaned out, old notes found under broken quills or socks stained with ink that had seeped out of a broken bottle. Books were sold back to Flourish and Blotts, for a small sack of sickles and the occasional galleon, depending on condition.

Barty had hidden his Dark books, enchanted them to look like their titles were _Quidditch Through the Ages_ and other things that wouldn't stick out. They were also charmed to draw attention away from them by anyone that wasn't him. So Winky wouldn't take notice of them when she cleaned his room, and thus not tell her master of his son's habit.

He had finally taken the Mark, meeting the Dark Lord for the first time. He didn't see his face, of course. The experience had been awe-inspiring and frightening, although he did not show it. He endured the jeers of "Not a spy for Daddy, are you?" He said he wished to join the side that knew what was right, to get rid of those who were clearly inferior to the wizarding race. All it took was his Lord's wand pressed to his wand arm, inky tendrils slipping over his skin and shaping themselves into the Dark Mark. It squirmed on his skin, and pained him for the rest of the meeting.

Audrey had piled her things into "Keep" and "Toss" piles; she kept some of her textbooks for future reference, and tossed anything that didn't fit, was broken or just not needed. The "Toss" pile was three times the size of the "Keep" one.

She had framed a small picture of her, Barty, and Regulus that showed the three of them at The Three Broomsticks one winter day; Barty was chugging down a Butterbeer, and he put the mug down far enough to see he had foam across his top lip. Audrey and Regulus were trying not to laugh and failing.

She had begun the process of making her room truly lived in, since she had not really used it for seven years.

A tan barn owl had disturbed her sleep one morning, waking her when the sun just started to peek over the tall buildings of London. She retrieved it, and the hand-writing was a dead giveaway. Barty had finally bothered to write three weeks into summer.

He mentioned nothing of his Mark or his meetings, but talked about how boring his house was, how he'd begun taking walks into the extensive grounds and Apparating into London and making a point of getting lost. He'd seen Regulus a few days a week, but he seemed withdrawn, focused on something else.

He was lonely and bored. The 'I miss you' towards the bottom of the letter did not go unnoticed. There were things he wanted to talk about too, things that needed to be cleared up so they knew where they stood with each other.

She couldn't help but agree. Their train station parting had been an impulsive move, one she kept going back to and wondering if it was another thing he had done to simply piss off his father, not because he had feelings for her.

She scribbled back, giving him the address of the café she had started working at, and a date and time. Digging around in her cupboards in the kitchen, she came across a small box of owl treats; her father would have owls swooping in and out on his days off, and he used to give the birds a small nibble before their journey back. She gave the owl two treats, receiving a small hoot in return before flying back. One of the nicer owls she'd come across.

She went back to putting her room into order, giving a glance at the picture on her desk one more time.

* * *

><p>She was behind the counter that day, nabbing a brownie and sticking it into a paper bag and placing it beside the cup of coffee the customer had ordered.<p>

"And I'll take a banana-nut coffee cake, please."

Audrey got right on that, hearing the bell over the door that signaled another customer. One that was an hour early, as she saw through the glass display of pastries.

Barty looked around as if he had never seen a Muggle establishment before. A frown tugged at his features, one that did not go unnoticed by Audrey but was quickly replaced with a smile as his eyes fell upon her.

He leaned on the display case as Audrey look the Muggle money from her, sorting out the change.

"Somehow this really suits you. I thought you'd be working somewhere a bit…bigger, though." She got his drift; he thought she would be working in Wizarding London, not among Muggles.

"Gotta make money before September. Training doesn't pay itself." She replied, giving a kind smile and change to the woman, who gave Barty a very odd look.

Wiping her hands on the apron around her hips, she looked up at him. "You're early. I can't get off for another hour." She glanced back to the small hallway behind the counter, where the owner's office was. The door was open, signaling her boss was around.

"You're not serving anyone at the moment."

"No, but I have a station to keep clean."

"I'll make it quick, then." He hopped the counter was ease, standing over her.

He had forgotten to shave recently, dark scruff dotting his face. His hair was unkempt, like he just hopped out of bed, threw on jeans and a button-down shirt and came over here.

He put his hands on her face, hands that had become calloused in the past few weeks because he was doing his own stuff on the side when not aiding his Lord. Mostly potions work, which took a toll on one's hands when done for long periods of time.

He kissed her, gently at first before longing took over and it became more urgent, demanding. Her hands were pressed to his chest, before running to his neck. They broke apart, their actions caught by a few customers.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" He whispered. "Do you want this?" He took her hands in his, a gesture that meant 'us'.

"In case you never noticed, I don't kiss people randomly, Barty." She replied. She slipped a hand out of his, to touch the forearm of his wand hand. "I know what this'll entail, you gone at random times and seeing you injured, potentially behind bars if things go bad. But I think I can handle it."

There was a small cough from the other side of the counter; another customer, who wasn't willing to sit through their discussion to have her coffee.

Barty let go of her, seeing the reluctant look cross her face, like she didn't want to be away from him.

Audrey profusely apologized as her face turned red, going about getting her order.

* * *

><p>From then on, Barty was a regular guest at the townhouse that Audrey lived in with her mother. He had stopped by one night by surprise with Regulus at his side, holding a bag of Muggle take-out; the one weakness that she had admitted to liking. It infuriated Barty, until he actually ate some of it. Greasy, but pretty good.<p>

They briefly met her mother, who was beginning to seem like her old self again, before Audrey ushered them into the kitchen, where they sat at the table discussing whatever came to mind.

Barty had left the room for a moment after asking Audrey where the bathroom was, and while she cleaned up the dishes-she somehow couldn't bring herself to simply wave her wand after all of the years of not being able to-Regulus took the chance to speak to her.

"Audrey, I've been given a mission, so to speak."

She stopped mid-scrub, looking at him with wide eyes. She wouldn't get details, she knew that. The vaguest of terms were used when discussing Death Eater matters around her.

"It's very likely I will not come back. I…never should have gotten into this. And I've brought Barty into this mess…" He looked sorrowful, full of regret. His parents had realized the extent to which Voldemort would go to in order to win, to get whatever he wanted. Regulus had begun to realize his error in joining, but knew it was too late.

"He would probably have figured out a way to become one of them either way, Reg." She sighed, before looking to the dishes and nodding. She was accepting his words, but it wasn't sinking in.

Barty had come back into the kitchen, and stood behind her, nuzzling her neck and wrapping his arms around her. Regulus made a gagging noise, not wanting to see his friend get all personal.

She walked them to the door, hugging and kissing Barty goodbye. She hugged Regulus, tighter than usual. He returned the gesture, rubbing the top of her head and ruffling her hair.

They both knew it would be the last time they saw each other.

* * *

><p>Rain. That was all it seemed to be able to do as of late. For the past week, it'd rain and rain. The gray sky was boring to look at. She got sick of hearing the pitter-patter of the drops on the roof, sick of empty buckets that sat under leaks. She'd trip over them in the middle of the night, the racket of the fall waking her mother to hushed cussing.<p>

A figure walked the streets, boots splashing through puddles without a care. He had a leather trench-coat on, the material letting the water slide off rather than soak in. The collar was pulled up around his neck, and his hair was plastered to his forehead. He had returned later than he thought, only to receive the news that Regulus had already told him the night before confirmed by the Dark Lord.

His friend…dead. Dead not for the cause, but because he tried to run. He was given the task because he had an expendable house elf and because he wanted out of Voldemort's circle. He would not let the servant of his family be used for such a horrid task, the details of which Barty still didn't know. But Regulus had been trying to worm out, and Voldemort had seen that. Couldn't have someone from his inner circle roaming free.

To have anger about it seemed ridiculous. He shouldn't be angry. Or was he angry because he was in pain, wishing Regulus never existed to spare him this pain?

He was tired, bothering to clean the blood from his clothes before heading over to give Regulus' parents the news of his death. He would not be let into the house; he had figured out that the house's defenses had been enforced, since Regulus would go out to meet him rather than them now go up to his room. Maybe they had influenced Regulus' change of heart, but that mattered little now.

Orion Black answered the door of 12 Grimmauld Place, and nodded at the news. Acceptance covered his features, and he thanked Barty for being the one to give the news. Probably because he was familiar to them, and he was giving them certainty of their son's death.

He bit his lip as he stood on Audrey's stoop, before knocking. Her mother was the one that answered the door, and he stood in the small foyer as she went up to get her daughter.

She was dressed in pajama bottoms and a large shirt that she clearly made herself, because as far as he was aware, there were never house tee shirts. He let his eyes say what he couldn't, pushing thoughts of _He was a traitor. He deserved it for trying to leave,_ out of his head. His only other Hogwarts friend, dead.

She understood immediately, shaking her head slowly as she descending the stairs. "No, no, no, no, no…"

He did the opposite, nodding slowly as he let her slip his arms around her. She broke down, clutching the shirt under his open jacket like a child. As if he too would slip away from her. And he would, she knew. He was slowly losing the portions of the Barty she had met that summer, the one she fell for. Shedding them for a darker aspect of life, there was no denying that. He could put up a façade around her, but he was no longer the boy she danced with.

He buried his face in her hair, letting her cry. He had already had a breakdown himself, in solitude.

She had stopped some time later, letting go enough to let him shed his trench coat and boots before carrying her up the steps and putting her under the covers. He stayed with her, laying on top of the covers and letting her use him as a pillow. He played with her hair, the one way he had learned to soothe her. Her mother, who had enough instinct to figure out what happened, placed two mugs of tea on Audrey's bedside table before looking at the two teenagers briefly. She left, leaving the door open a crack.

He had gotten her to sit up and drink the tea her mother had went through the trouble to make. The lost expression on her face did not suit her. She had sipped half of the mug before setting it aside, taking Barty's empty one and placing it beside hers.

Audrey fell asleep with her head on Barty's chest. He too, found himself wanting to sleep. Exhaustion had hit him with full force, but he knew the sleep would be far from peaceful.


	5. In Which The Music Stops

**The final chapter, in which the inevitable happens regarding Barty Jr. Poor Audrey. I didn't focus on the scene of the trial too much; I wanted to include it but instead of mentioning things we all know happen (either Karkaroff rats him out, or he's dragged in with Bellatrix, Rodopholus and Rabastan), focus on, well, Audrey. **

**Thank you for the faves, the reviews. They're wonderful. Onto the conclusion...**

It was strange, the realization that their group of three was now just the two of them. For a while, both of them half-expected Regulus to show up unannounced, as if he were simply running late.

Eventually it sorted itself out, and they moved on. There were bigger headlines on the _Prophet _to focus on.

Auror training had started, leaving the both of them busy. Audrey had signed up right after graduation, and exchanged her Muggle earnings into galleons. She handed the satchel to a witch taking payment on the first day. For her, it was a way to go down fighting, and to bring money in; Merlin knew her mother's job in the Alley wasn't enough without dipping into savings.

She would see Barty, of course, but she soon found herself surrounded by other people, as did he. They'd make time on a weekend, always, but it wasn't the same as it was in the summer.

Barty was beginning to discover the annoyance of being around his parents and trying to find excuses for coming in at four in the morning. Winky had let slip that he was injured, a raid with Aurors that had gone bad. His father thought it was simply an alley brawl, but threatened him to clean up his act or get out. The attitude change went unseen, Crouch merely thinking his son immature.

Barty chose to leave. It did pain him to see his mother in tears, but it had to be done.

Shoving his belongings into his trunk, magically extending it as to hold things that most definitely could not be left behind, he went out the front door, Apparating into London. It was well past midnight when he knocked on Audrey's door.

She was the one that answered, eyes glazed with fatigue but the dark circles told him she wasn't giving in to it. She was studying on the side, trying to find a way to move up her practical date and get a place among a team of Aurors.

The more she was buried in a book, the more time she didn't have to think about how eventually this would go down the tubes.

"Move in with me," was all he said, standing in the cold street in the middle of November.

She rubbed her eyes, wondering how he was standing outside with a stupid grin on his face. This childish innocence still there somehow. He was clearly struggling to stand, passing it off as leaning casually on his trunk, and yet here he was.

"You got kicked out, didn't you?" She deadpanned.

"No. I was given a choice. I chose to make it easier to keep my little secret. Well, you know anyway, but…"

"You don't have a place to stay at the moment, do you?" He couldn't get passed her irritated expression, as if him being there was a bother.

"No. I wasn't really going to sleep, anyway."

She opened the door wider, and let him in. "Come on. You can have my bed. I'm not sleeping anyway." He flashed her a cheeky smile, to which she promptly took her hand to the back of his head. "You and the gutter, Barty…"

* * *

><p>They had found a small, one bedroom flat a few blocks from Audrey's. It had a fireplace that could easily connect to the Floo network. It was small, but how much room could be needed, really?<p>

She would leave behind major things, and they'd buy more than the donated set of living room furniture that Audrey's mother had given them from the landing on the second floor. No one used it, anyway.

The true winter had brought a chill neither of them anticipated, and they were glad to be able to produce heating charms. They were slowly learning that running a household while trying to become Aurors was tiring and patience-draining. Magic helped, but it never got the rent in on time.

They'd go off to training, come home and eat, lounge about. The radio was always on, to cover the silence that was dominating a lot of their conversations.

She woke to hear Barty hissing, his back curved as he hunched over, clutching his arm. They had a few hours before they had to report in, and both of them knew he would not make it back in time.

Her lips found his cheek, clear of stubble for once. He threw on his robes, grabbed his mask and kissed her roughly before Disapparating.

He had not made it back before she left. She told one of the superiors that he was ill that morning, burning with a fever. They took her word for it. Why doubt the son of the Department Head?

She stumbled into the small apartment, dragging soot in with her from the fireplace. They had been practicing breaking the influence of the Imperius Curse, and it left her tired and slightly out of touch with reality at the moment. She tossed her robes onto the bed, and set the kettle on for tea. She was partly through making a quick bite to eat when the fireplace roared to life.

Green flames spit out a hunched over figured, who promptly rolled onto his side and over the hard wood floor. The shock was enough for her to lose her focus over the project and everything fell where it was.

"Barty!"

A blood trail was left behind where his wounds had made contact with the floor. He was pale, shaking. His expression was stuck in a display of absolute agony. The only sounds coming from his mouth were low moans, as if making more noise would attract attention.

She darted across the small space, falling to her knees at his side. She dared to turn him over, to see the damage. There was a bite mark among the gashes, two decent holes the same distance apart. She thought vampire at first, but then realized they were further apart, belonging to a snake, perhaps.

The blood-soaked robes and clothes disappeared with a wand wave, leaving him in his undergarments. He was blinking, and responding by pointing to the bathroom; where several of the healing items were kept. Dittany. Of course.

A vial of Essence of Dittany was summoned, and used on the cuts. The bite mark…if it contained venom, she'd have to draw it out. But she was no Healer. He was still pale, but with most of the injuries gone he looked a bit better. Maybe he'd be alright with a Healer, then.

She didn't bother asking about the wounds. A part of her really didn't even want to know.

Reaching an arm around him and hoping he would carrying half of his own weight, she trekked into the bedroom. She laid him out as best she could, and he rearranged himself enough to get comfortable before passing out.

Even though he looked like total crap, her eyes lit up when he shuffled out many hours later. He was alive. It was enough.

"Apparently, I didn't live up to his expectations. Failed. I was supposed to know every in and out of the schedules, and I overlooked someone staying late. Gave me a little Cruciatus," he paused, trying to gather his thoughts and control the trembling, "had Snape use his curse on me-Merlin knows the man is his favorite for being a spy on Dumbledore, and then set the snake on me in hopes of a final lesson taught."

She slipped a cup of tea in front of him. "I knew you'd be getting hurt, but this…"

"Is what I want. I won't have people telling me what and what not to do. If a little pain is necessary for greatness, then I will suffer for my Lord."

She had finally lost him.

* * *

><p>He couldn't get out of bed that morning. The news was all around. Voldemort, gone. Dead. All because of a one-year-old infant.<p>

He refused to believe it. A man of Voldemort's talent would not succumb to death. It wasn't possible.

There had been whispers among the new Aurors, something about an Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore's society, working towards finishing off the Dark Lord.

Two names came to mind, who were both Aurors and in the Order. Alice and Frank Longbottom. They would have to know.

He rubbed his forearm, where the faded mark once danced across his skin. Bellatrix would surely be looking to find her Lord.

Barty made his way to the fireplace, and set for the Lestranges.

* * *

><p>It was only a matter of time before he was caught.<p>

First, Regulus. Now, Barty. She'd lost the two men she'd grown accustomed to. Her friends. Casualties of war, one might say. But she refused to believe that. Their choices led them to their fates, and there was nothing to be done.

She wished it were different.

Audrey was among the Aurors on duty that morning, out of sheer coincidence (although if Crouch had anything to do with picking the Aurors on duty, maybe not). Her right hand went for the ring on her left, a small diamond that, while unremarkable in size, meant everything to her. Just as the dress she wore under her robes did, that blue sundress that was out of season and four years old, but still fit somehow.

It would appear it would not be joined by a marriage band, in the end. Not from the same man who gave her the ring.

The man who sat among the Lestrange brothers and Bellatrix. Pleading to the man presiding over the hearing that he was innocent. Looking so damn scared that his actions had finally caught up with him.

She found Barty's mother, looking as ill as she had ever seen her. His father looked murderous. Worse than when he caught them four years ago, which she didn't know was really possible.

Barty had found her in the crowd towards the end, their eyes locked.

"Audrey! Please…don't let them take me! I didn't do it! You can vouch for that!"

A lie. She couldn't. She had been on overtime, investigating at Godric's Hollow. Paperwork would prove that. As would eyewitnesses she worked with.

She shook her head, blinking away the tears that would no doubt fall when she got home.

"Please! I love you! I never meant to hurt you…"

What was this, some Muggle soap opera? The charges of torture under an Unforgivable and conspiracy against the Ministry seemed to be forgotten as the audience looked between the young couple.

Did he forget that he already hurt her? By getting himself caught? For taking the damn mark in the first place? For being wonderful enough for her to fall for?

"I'll always love you, Barty," was all she could muster. There wasn't much to be said anymore. He'd get his sentence, and she'd move on with her life, like it or not.

She flung herself through the nearest doors, her Patronus of a husky darting behind her. Audrey refused to have the image of him being dragged away by Dementors as the last time she saw him. She found it strange that the very thoughts keeping her Patronus trotting around involved the man that sat in the courtroom, pleading his innocence. Who's very presence required Dementors to be there in the first place.

The corridor was deserted, the glossy black tiles infinitely reflecting on each other.

It left her lips before she knew it, before she remembered he couldn't possibly hear her, that her Barty had died the night he took the Mark.

"Goodbye…"


	6. Fourteen Years Later

**I've got a lot of time on my hands. This one's for BlueNeutrino, who gave me one last idea that would be a true ending to the character I've yanked into this series.**

_June of 1995_

Sun trickled into the kitchen window, casting a golden glow on the room. The morning had officially started roughly five hours and some minutes prior, but she couldn't sleep. She had thrown off her sleep schedule last week after finishing up paperwork about the Triwizard Tournament and Fudge's rants and hush-up's in the past few days.

Bloody hell, sometimes she wished Crouch ended up being Minister. At least he wasn't scared of everything like Fudge.

She rubbed her eyes, wishing she didn't have to go in today. She'd love to spend the day out with her seven year old daughter and the large, friendly mastiff she had taken in some years ago. Go to the park, let her tell fantastic tales about dragons and powerful wizards and princesses as she walked the line of benches on the path. Take her to the zoo after dropping off the friendly giant of a dog. The Muggle zoo, of course. She loved that place. Get ice cream afterwards.

But it wasn't possible today. And she hated that. She had learned from Barty's father to spend time with her family as much as possible.

An owl tapped on the glass, drawing her attention away from her own thoughts as she got up to let the bird in. She took the paper, and from a tin on the counter retrieved the money and a treat. The bird flew away as soon as it finished its nibble.

The paper seemed unremarkable; more slanders on Dumbledore and Potter, Rita Skeeter writing utter trash. She found an article about herself and her husband, something she was used to. She married a very attractive man by the name of Sean Kavanagh, after all. Dark hair, brilliant blue eyes. Not to mention he was a prestigious businessman. Her mother wasn't a fan of the thick Irish accent, but she got over it seeing how happy her daughter was.

One article caught her eye on the third page in.

DEATH EATER IMPERSONATES HOGWARTS TEACHER

_It has been revealed that the Auror Alastor Moody, also known as Mad-Eye Moody, was not in fact Alastor Moody at all up at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A Death Eater had taken his slot, using Polyjuice Potion over nine months to infiltrate Hogwarts under the pretense of teacher._

_Bartemius Crouch Junior, the son of the well-known Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, had been found by staff in the quarters off of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Thought to be dead, this raises several questions to those who remember the scandal some fourteen years ago regarding Crouch Junior's involvement in the torture of the Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom. Audrey Kavanagh (née Edinhardt) was to be Crouch Junior's wife; they were engaged for a period of seven months before the trial that tore them apart._

_Crouch Junior is the second known follower of You-Know-Who to wiggle past the Dementors of Azkaban prison. The other being, of course, Sirius Black._

_Crouch Senior was also last seen on the grounds at Hogwarts after the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and has not been seen since. _

_There will be a trial in upcoming weeks at a yet-unknown date, presided over by the entire Wizengamot and shall involve administering Veritaserum to the defendant. _

_Is it possible this event coincides with what Potter and Dumbledore have declared? Time to play the waiting game and see what happens at the trial._

She stared at the _Prophet_ as if more would reveal itself if she kept looking at it long enough. No. Barty was dead. She had been told by a friend who worked shifts there when needed. He died within a year of his imprisonment. What was this shit?

Had he been alive, all this time? He never bothered to come to her? She kept his damn secret and that was how he repaid her, by never showing up when he had snuck out of prison?

She slammed the paper down, the slap sounding so much louder because there were no other sounds in the house.

"Love?"

An Irish-accented voice, hushed to keep their daughter from waking, came from the doorway to the front hall. The area was open, the kitchen blending into the living room with a mere change of flooring and decoration. He didn't have to speak loud to be heard.

"I'm fine."

He walked over to her, pulled up a chair beside her and brushed away a tear from her eye. Since when had she started crying? She told herself she would not cry over him, not anymore.

"If fine means an irritated expression and teary eyes, then yeah. But I'm pretty sure fine means okay, and okay means no tears, at the very least." He kissed her cheek, and set the kettle on with a wave of his wand.

His eyes were focused on her as she unfolded the paper and pointed to the article. He read it, recognizing the names. He knew Crouch Senior, met him occasionally while on Ministry runs. The son…she had told him about her ex-fiancé. She said she hated secrets, and would not burden herself with him.

"Are you afraid he'll come after you?" Her husband was one of the few who believed Potter's words of the return of You-Know-Who. It would only be a matter of time that his followers began walking the streets without fear of being caught.

"No. I was upset that, in the thirteen years he's actually been alive, he never once came back to me. I would have thought he'd at least write. Unless Azkaban rendered him insane enough to forget how to. Not that I'm unhappy or anything, but…" She murmured, accepting the mug of tea that had floated to the table. Three sugars and lots of milk.

"You just wanted to know he was alive, despite his allegiance. Know what I think?" She looked at him expectantly over the rim of the mug. "I think he wanted you happy."

"How do you mean?"

"You're an Auror, Audrey. Can't you piece it together?" He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well...he wanted to not bother me with his secret of being out of prison. It would be one more person who knew. He thought he had caused me enough pain and wanted to leave me alone. He cared enough to let me move on with my life. Surely he had access to the papers; he would have seen the marriage announcement. That might have killed whatever incentive he had to come to me. Saw I was happy with you, and wanted it that way."

Her husband nodded. "By staying away, he's sparing you more pain. Which proves he still cares."

"Does that bother you? That you just said another man may still care for your wife?"

"No, because I'm the one that married you." He kissed her briefly, once on the lips and then on the forehead. "Are you sure you have to go in to work? You, Hannah and I could spend the day together…"

She closed her eyes for a moment. There wasn't much to be done, she reasoned. She could easily ask Tonks to handle the paperwork from the Trescott case…

"I think I can get someone to cover for me. I can't stand spending days at work and not seeing her all the time."

Lips collided with hers again, only to be disrupted by a, "Ew…" from a young girl. She was dressed in pajamas, the giant mastiff coming to her shoulder in height beside her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are we embarrassing you?" Audrey teased.

"Just grossing me out. I'm pretty sure Bear didn't want to see that either."

Hannah was a shorter version of her mother with fewer freckles. Green eyes, dark hair. She was gaining some of her father's attitude in the mornings, and Audrey wished luck to the girls at Hogwarts who would have to put up with it in a few years.

As if on cue, the mastiff gave a whine as he plopped onto the kitchen floor, covering his eyes with a paw.

Audrey turned her attention back to her daughter, who was rubbing her eyes now, clutching her stuffed hippogriff. _No child should ever be up this early_, Hannah reasoned with herself.

"Daddy and I were thinking…how about a trip to the Muggle zoo this afternoon? We'll get ice cream and laugh at the penguins…"

Hannah's face lit up at the mention of the silly birds. "Really, Mummy?"

Audrey ran a hand through her daughter's hair, kissing her cheek. "Yes, sweetie, really. Now, how about some pancakes?"

**You know how things begin to write themselves? I planned to mention the daughter and the husband (who I named after my four year old nephew for some reason, first name only) but never show them. Have Audrey work it out herself. But I guess it shows how she's not miserable and alone, all that. She's moved on and met other people. **

**I'm pretty sure Fudge would have hushed up the story about Barty and his shenanigans with the Polyjuice Potion, if Dumbledore didn't, but whatever. Subject to editing, if I feel it needs to be done. And now it feels truly…finished. Closed ending for Audrey. **


End file.
